Pray For Death: ATLAS Force, #3

Prologue

Somewhere in New Mexico , 1947ce

What’s that? Jonathan Millar asked as he saw something that grabbed his attention. The night was closing in and shadows stretched across the edge of town.

Let’s take a look, Bob Hastings suggested. It’s the most interesting thing we’ve seen in this dreadful place since we arrived yesterday.

The two of them got in the car and drove off in the direction where they had seen the light coming from. They drove for several minutes going further from the town’s limits towards the place where they had seen the lights that had lit up the night sky as if it had been midday. As they approached they saw something they had not thought possible.

The lights appeared to be in the area just above ground, hovering soundlessly. With a radius of almost twenty-five feet, the light coalesced and danced before their eyes like a rip in the very fabric of space itself. Thousands of colours danced in and around a dark tear that gradually widened.

What the hell is that thing? Bob asked as they got out of the car close to the phenomenon.

I have no idea, I’ve never seen anything like it, his friend replied.

No one has, Bob agreed.

Look, there, Jonathan said indicating something within the lights.

A figure, roughly humanoid in shape and appearance emerged from the middle of the radiance and started to approach them.

The sound of other vehicles grabbed their attention, momentarily tearing their eyes from the spectacle in front of them, forcing them to look in their direction.

Military vehicles were heading towards them coming to a stop nearby. Troops wearing combat fatigues and brandishing weapons, poured out of the three trucks.

Who the hell are these guys? Jonathan asked.

Bob commented, They’re not wearing any military badges I recognise, and who are those two? indicating two men wearing dark suits. And why the hell would you wear sunglasses at night? he added.

Jonathan looked at them then back at the light show. They’re looking at that thing, my guess is so they can see into it better, he posited.

Their attention was drawn back to what was happening with the troops. The thing that had emerged let out a primal scream and rushed at the nearest trooper. It attacked him with such ferocity he had no time to defend himself. It had him on the ground and was tearing at him with what appeared to be huge claws on strangely twisted hands.

Jonathan and Bob were terrified as they watched the trooper die right before their eyes. The other troopers reacted by firing at the thing. Bullets struck the thick hide of the creature sending spurts of a strange, dark, viscous liquid from its body. Shaking off the attack in a frenzy of movement the thing attacked the other troopers.

Several more of them fell before the fury of this berserker until several bullets hit the creature’s head blowing it apart. It finally fell to the ground; the attack was over.

Jonathan and Bob stood mutely observing, fearful that they too would fall prey to this monstrous creature. When it was over, and it lay on the ground dead, they looked at each other in complete amazement.

What the fuck just happened here? Bob asked, his voice shaking from the adrenaline still flooding through his system.

I think we’re about to find out, Jonathan suggested as he saw the two black-suited men head their way.

Do you live here? the first man asked taking off his dark glasses to reveal eyes the colour of mud.

No we’re just passing through, we’re salesmen on our way to a meeting in Phoenix, Bob answered. He glanced at his arm as his friend placed a restraining hand there. Bob looked up into the dead eyes of the man who asked the question, realising his mistake.

Both dark suited men drew pistols from beneath their jackets, screwed suppressors onto the muzzles then aimed and fired at the two friends. The guns sounded no more than a dull cough but the effects were terrible as the bullets shattered the foreheads of the salesmen as they entered and passed through the brain killing them instantly. Blood and gore splattered the ground where they fell and neither of them saw what followed. Their part in this event was over.

Had they been alive they would have seen the soldiers pick up the dead body of the creature and haul it along with theirs, placing them in the back of one of the trucks. They would also see them deposit what looked like the debris from some fallen craft, what would later be reported as a weather balloon. And finally they would have seen the rift close up sending the world back to darkness.

As the trucks departed, all traces of what had taken place that night were removed, replaced by what would soon be known as the world’s most famous and later the most debunked UFO sighting in history. This was just the start of a chain of events that would set in motion something that could only end in disaster.

The countdown had begun.

1

Somewhere in China , present day

How are we on the progress of the programme? Xiao Ling asked. He was dressed in his uniform of Colonel in the Peoples Republic Army of China. In his mid-thirties, he had classed this posting as an honour and he took his role seriously. This was not a ‘nothing’ assignment as some of his colleagues had considered. If this programme were to be successful he would not only help his country become an even greater world power but would also propel his own career into the stratosphere.

He watched with eyes the colour of dark oak as the older of the two technicians turned to him. At sixty-three and closing on the mandatory retirement age, Meng Lin was the lead scientist on this programme. He oversaw everything about it and knew in detail what was happening and was going to happen. Nothing got passed his hawk-like focus and he viewed the army’s involvement in this as nothing more than a distraction, a very important part of the programme, granted, for they supplied the necessary funding, but a distraction nonetheless.

When he spoke it was with calm deliberation, as if he were talking to a child. He said simply, Things are progressing as expected.

Ensure that they are Doctor. The Governing Council does not accept delays of any kind, for any reason, Xiao countered, not to be put off by the scientist’s disdain for his role in this game.

Have no fear, Colonel, I will keep you informed when there is anything to report. In the meantime I suggest you leave me to my work. Aren’t there any drills you can supervise, somewhere? Meng said looking down his nose at the officer.

You may mock me and my role here Doctor, but you would be grateful of mine and my men’s presence should anything happen that would require our expertise, Xiao shot back at the jibe.

We are in the middle of nowhere in a secret facility at the base of a mountain, Colonel. No one knows we are even here, let alone what we are doing, your presence here is absolutely superfluous to our needs.

Before Xiao could reply, his ears picked up sounds of an explosion.

Looking at the scientist, who also heard the sounds and whose eyes had gone wide with fear, Xiao said, You were saying?

Picking a radio from his belt Xiao spoke into it. Report, what is happening?

A voice screamed back at him through the radio, There’s been a breach... and then before Xiao could ask for more the sound of gunfire cut him off and ended the conversation.

Stay here, make sure the work is protected, he said taking off to go see what the commotion was about.

Meng and the younger technician, Zhao Kang, stared after him as he left.

He ran towards where the sound was coming from, his sidearm holstered at his hip. When he saw the cause of the commotion he drew it and aimed.

In front of him a hole in the wall had appeared through which he noticed three lines were hanging down. Suddenly figures dressed in black combat gear rappelled down and swung through the opening, assault rifles levelled at him.

KANG’S DEMEANOUR ALTERED when the explosions blew the hole in the wall. He stood more upright, his back straightened as his posture altered. He saw Meng’s eyes go even wider as he spoke.

We have to move, now, he said. Taking a flash drive from an inside pocket he inserted it into a computer terminal on the desk in front of them and started typing instructions on the keyboard. Various pages popped up on the monitor attached to the desktop of the files he was downloading onto the flash drive.

What the hell are you doing? Meng asked, alarm and confusion written all over his face.

Ignoring the question Kang continued what he was doing. Meng leaned in for a closer look. What he saw concerned him even more, DNA codes, genetic profiles, protein strands and cell structures were all visible.

That is all the data for our experiments, where do you think you’re taking that?

Somewhere safe, Doctor, somewhere safe, I hope, Kang returned as he began closing down the pages then shutting off the program. As the monitor went dark after Kang shut off the terminal he snatched the flash drive from the USB port at the side of the tower and returned it to his pocket.

If I were you Doctor I would destroy this work, then find a way out of here and fast. Whoever that is, it doesn’t sound like they take prisoners, he said with a nod in the direction Xiao had gone.

Who are you? Meng asked finally as he realised this was not the person he knew, not the person who had worked for him for the last four months.

Kang just looked at him.

Goodbye, Doctor, he said and turned to leave in the opposite direction to the Colonel.

Kang, as Meng had begun to realise, was not who he had claimed to be but was in fact a covert operative of the CIA seconded from ATLAS Force. His real name was Tommy Chen and he hailed from California. He had grown up with parents who had emigrated from China when he was a baby. His roots had remained intact as his parents, although hating the oppressive government they had left behind, had been proud Chinese people, so Tommy grew up learning all he could from the old country, especially the language. When the time came for an agent to be picked for this lengthy mission his years with ATLAS and his background knowledge of China put him in the forefront of other applicants.

Now it was time to get out.

Racing to another section of the facility he had memorised the layout of, he headed for one of the emergency exits. Down a lengthy corridor he ran, around bends and corners, until the end was in sight. Alarms rang out as someone had alerted the security staff of the breach.

Reaching out, his lab coat flapping behind as he ran, he stretched for the handle of the door. Before his fingers touched anything the door suddenly burst open almost hitting him in the face. Standing in the opening was a figure dressed in black combat gear. Holding a HK MP5 rifle in one hand while his other still gripped the handle, Tommy saw the look of surprise in eyes the colour of stone-washed denim, the only visible detail on the man’s face.

Tommy was the first to react; the adrenaline coursing through his body hyped his reactions. He punched the man in the throat with a straight-fingered strike. The man’s eyes went wide with shock as he instinctively reached for his throat discarding the handle and dropping the rifle.

Tommy reached for the weapon and turned it on the figure choking in front of him. A short burst finished him off and Tommy ran through the door hoping he had been the only one sent to secure this exit.

The frigid night air of the mountain range hit him like a burst of ice-cold water. Looking around Tommy quickly gauged the area to be free of hostiles, luckily his first thought had been correct. Whoever these people were they only sent one man to cover each exit, proving they had limited resources and manpower.

The sound of a chopper hovering nearby alerted him to how they had arrived. He kept low as he ran in the opposite direction hoping to find somewhere to hide until they had left. Once they had he would contact his handler for an extraction.

COLONEL XIAO HAD HIS sidearm drawn, a QSZ 98 and was ready to fire the moment he saw the black-clad men appear in the opening.

He had only seen combat on a few occasions but nothing like this, never full-blown combat where he was directly in the firing line. His reactions were a little too slow for as he made ready to fire the shock of seeing them slowed his reactions. Assault rifles were already on target and he heard gunshots.

Suddenly he felt something hit him hard and he was back pedalling trying to remain on his feet. The room tilted and something hit the back of his head. When everything was still he realised he’d been shot and had fallen over. Pain from the wounds that he now realised were leaking blood began to assail his nerves, threatening to overwhelm his senses.

Darkness encroached from the side of his vision as his brain started to shut down and the last thing he saw were black boots passing by.

He died with the knowledge he had failed his men but more than that, his country. He assumed his shame would outlive him once his body was discovered, in that too he was wrong.

FINDING A CREVASSE not far from where the facility huddled at the base of a mountain, Tommy forced himself inside hoping his claustrophobia didn’t rear its ugly head. He had been in a hurry to find a place to hide in case they had people roaming the perimeter looking for stragglers. These mountain passes were so narrow only a mountain goat could navigate them. He didn’t think they would leave any witnesses and that’s why he had chosen this place.

This attack was probably a fast in and out operation whereby they would rush in, take what they came for, then leave covering their tracks by killing everyone present.

The cold was beginning to get to him and he wished he’d had time to grab a coat on the way out. Waiting, he wondered how long he’d been outside as the seconds stretched into minutes and his mind started to confuse time. He realised he had no idea how long he’d been outside just that it was damned cold.

He heard voices shouting something and the sound of the chopper’s engine altered as it powered up prior to taking off.

Not long now.

Once the sound of the chopper had receded into the distance he ventured out of his hiding place and walked towards the facility again. His plan was to grab some warm clothing and head away before calling his handler for the evac. Looking around he saw a few bodies littering the front of the building as the lights inside illuminated the horror that had taken place. He took another step closer and the entire place exploded in a cataclysmic blast that destroyed the front sending debris scattering in every direction. The force of the blast sent him flying back as the pressure wave compressed his organs to mulch.

He would never get to know who was behind the attack or if they got what they came for because he was dead before he hit the ground.

2

New York

The Director of ATLAS was sitting at his desk as usual, working through a mountain of files that he had in front of him. ATLAS was an paradox in intelligence circles for it was a co-operative organisation, a military tactical unit set up after the terrorist attacks both on 9/11 in New York and 7/7 in London between the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany. ATLAS stood for Advanced Threat, Locate And Secure.

The Director was General Wilbur Colclough and he was the definition of old school with a solid mistrust of all things technical. He used a computer sparingly and only when absolutely necessary.

Still slim and fit despite approaching his mid-sixties, his almost colourless grey eyes still retained that spark of intelligence that had caught out so many who underestimated him. Salt and pepper hair receded from a high flawless forehead into a widow’s peak as he focused on his work. The intercom on his desk trilled breaking his concentration.

Sir, Special Agent Brian Hildebrand is here to see you, Marta said, her voice spearing through the silence in the room.

Marta was his aide and second in command. Nothing happened in ATLAS without her knowing about it, she also controlled the communications during certain operations.

Colclough’s brow furrowed as he wondered what the agent wanted. Hildebrand had been the agent in charge of the operation for the CIA who had seconded Tommy Chen. Was he here to impart news of Tommy, or was it something else? There was only one way to find out he decided and responded with, Show him in.

Colclough sat back and watched the man enter his office. He was wearing a dark pinstripe suit the colour of blueberries, tailored to fit his lean frame and to hide the bulge under his left armpit. Hair the colour of mud was slicked back from a forehead creased by worry lines beneath which a pair of dead eyes of a predator speared Colclough in his chair.

Brian, always nice to see one of our brothers from Langley, what brings you here? he said. As soon as he spoke the words he knew something had gone wrong. Hildebrand was trying to hide it and with anyone else probably could have succeeded, but Colclough was a master at reading people.

We lost contact with Tommy, Hildebrand said, the words tumbling out as if they had a life of their own and were in desperate need of air. Obviously this was worse than he had imagined.

You’d better take a seat and tell me everything, Colclough said, indicating to the chair in front of his desk. He had a bad feeling about this the moment Marta had heralded the agent’s arrival and with one look into those dead eyes he knew it was even worse than he had feared.

"And I do mean everything this time, the time for secrets between us it seems has long since passed," he added.

COLONEL JACK FLYNN wiped sweat from his brow as he stepped off the treadmill. It had been a few months since he had been buried under a collapsed roof in Las Vegas and his injuries were still healing.

He had been getting back into shape for the last few weeks, increasing his workouts to increase his stamina and overall fitness levels. As he walked past the wall-length mirror he caught sight of how he looked. His eyes were the colour of pale slate and as they travelled up his lean, hard body they landed on where his injuries had been centred.

His outward appearance seemed normal, the injuries had been internal and the lacerations had all healed with just the scars to add to his already formidable tally. He still felt the pain; his arm ached occasionally as did his leg, and he still winced when taking a deep breath but he was working through it. The exercise routine the physio had given him seemed to be working as he was getting stronger every day and he would soon be back on active duty.

He had used the time off to reconnect with his parents. They still lived in the house he grew up in here in Westchester County in Downstate New York. He remembered the first time he visited their home just after leaving the hospital and the anxiety he felt at seeing them after so long.

He stepped up to the door and rang the bell. It felt strange to be there but he thought it was time.

When the door opened he saw his stepfather standing looking at him with that look in his eyes; that look of resentment he always greeted him with. Jack and his mother had always been close but when his father had died and his Mum had met the man she was later to marry the two of them had never hit it off. Their initial meeting had not gone well, Robert had introduced himself saying that he was not there to replace Jack’s father – as if he could have Jack had thought – and he was only interested in his mother. He may not have meant it the way it had sounded to Jack but seeing as how he was still grieving over his dead father as a first impression it had not been a good one. It had stayed with him permanently implanted into his memory so that every time he met the guy his hackles rose. It hadn’t helped their relationship that his mother had continually relayed stories of Jack and his career in ATLAS; she was a proud mother and not ashamed to tell anyone she met of her son’s accomplishments. This had helped build the rising resentment Jack felt Robert was already harbouring against him.

Well, it’s about time, Colonel, what’s up, doesn’t the world need saving so you thought about coming to visit us? he said.

Not right now, no, Jack replied. How’ve you been Robert, how’s Mum? he added.

When he saw the man’s expression change, become guarded as if there was something he didn’t want to tell him, he knew something was wrong.

You’d better come inside, his stepfather replied.

As the door closed behind Jack, Robert turned to him and said, The docs were concerned with your mother’s health so we had an X-ray done. They found a mass on her lung.

Jack felt his legs buckle at the news. Have they done a biopsy? he asked.

Robert shook his head. We thought it best not to, at her age we decided not to put her through all that.

We thought? Isn’t that a choice she should make on her own, what’s this ‘we’ bullshit? Are you making decisions for the both of you now Bob? Jack snapped back, squaring up to the smaller, older man.

Don’t talk to me like that or you can leave right now, Robert snapped back stepping back clearly intimidated by how Jack glared at him.

Not until I see my mother and I notice how you never answered my question Bob.

Robert looked up into Jack’s glare, took a calming breath then asked, Jack your mother’s eighty-seven years old, do you really want surgeons slicing her open in her condition?

Jack’s initial reaction was to say yes if it meant finding out what it was then removing it so she could have a long life. Then he realised there was some truth in what Robert had said, she was eighty-seven and at that age the chances of making a full recovery from an operation of that kind decreased rapidly.

As much as he hated to admit it, Robert was probably right.

Where is she? he asked not wanting to give the man the satisfaction of knowing he was right.

Upstairs in bed.

Jack snapped him a worried look, Just how sick is she? he asked.

You’d better go up, was all Robert would say.

Jack quickly walked through the hallway to the stairs that led to the upper floor. On the landing he immediately heard the